In the middle of southern Louisiana, one sanitation worker on his routine trash route in New Iberia managed to save a life. The man helped lead police investigators to a 10-year-old girl who had been missing in the recent week. According to reports, the girl was last seen entering into a gray vehicle with a man who authorities would later determine is a registered sex offender. It was something no one, not even the hero, ever expected to happen.
"I had just seen this gray car parked in the field. That was the dude who had that little 10-year-old. I just saved that little girl's life, bruh. I just saved that little girl's life, bruh. Thank God, bruh. They got him now," said Dion Merrick in a Facebook Live video on his personal page.
Dion Merrick also said that he had spotted a gray sedan parked in a field near St. Martin Parish when he was making his usual trash day rounds. He recognized the car from a state police alert and promptly called 911 to alert police.
"Man, something told me, bruh," recalled Merrick in an interview, "Something told me like just look I said 'what that car doing way off in the field like that?'"
Merrick, a father to a little girl himself, was thankful that he was able to make an impact and save a life. The girl was reported to be unharmed physically and is currently undergoing some additional medical evaluations. Michael R. Sereal, 33, was arrested and charged with kidnapping. He was a friend of the family.
"I ain't lying, bruh. It's a blessing, dog," said Merrick. "You know what I am saying. Look, I just thank God he blessed us to find that little girl, for real, bruh."